The trend of asking for a cover letter to accompany candidate’s resume has rapidly increased during the last three years. It is expected that cover letters in 2014 will become mandatory for every job applications and no resume will be considered if not accompanied by a cover letter.

A successful cover letter doesn’t need any rich formatting, graphics or borders in it. The main ingredient needed to make a successful letter is relevance. Remember the two Cs of cover letters while writing one no matter what the target position is. The two Cs of cover letter writing are ‘concise’ and ‘connected’. Make your letter short and highly relevant.

Best Cover Letters 2014

Following are some tips and intimations regarding the changing trends and upcoming cover letter preferences for the year 2014.

Targeted

Today’s job application to any firm is incomplete without targeted cover letters. The trend is expected to increase logically in 2014. Target cover letters, as the name suggests, tend to target a certain job at a certain organization by mentioning an exact skillset. Writing a separate, specially customized cover letter for each position and firm is now a common practice and allows tailoring of the cover letter as per the demands and requirements of employer.

Concise and connected

There is an increasing trend of shortening the overall length of cover letter’s . The length considered ideal was typically one to two pages in the past years. The preference has now become three fourths of a page, short and smartly connected sentences. Do not waste the precious space in stating irrelevant skills and stories.

Tabular and bulleted formats

Objectivity in the main the body or second paragraph is appreciated. Employers like to see a comparison table in second paragraph. Qualifications listed in bullet form and discussed one-by-one also lead to a good image.

Unique introductions and endings

As competition for each job position is constantly increasing, it is strongly recommended to open and close the letter in an inspiring manner to create a strong and lasting impression. Remember, your letter’s opening and ending, both need to be different from the other applicants in order to get noticed in 2014.

Tailored

Cover letters in 2014 are getting more and more personalized, unlike the resume. Personalization in terms of cover letter writing is translated as using the employer’s name directly and being frank, straight forward and confident yet formal in stating the ways you intend to benefit the prospective employer.

Professional Cover letter writing services

There are numerous professional cover writing services that offer professional letter writing at very reasonable rates. There is no harm in trying one of these for assistance.